Replacing Keith Ellison–Who should be the next Fifth District Congressperson?

Curiously overlooked in the media coverage of the forthcoming Fifth congressional district DFL

primary have been two things–the issues and qualifications of the candidates running for the office.  Both the Star Tribune and Minnpost have contended that the candidates differ little on the issues–and that may or may not be the case–but generally coverage of this primary has been limited to the horse race of who is perceived to be ahead, the money race of who is raising money, and the perhaps now the get out of the vote race.  Given that the primary effectively will determine the next  member of Congress for the Fifth because it is one of  most Democratic seats in the country, media coverage has been remiss in its coverage in terms of the issues and qualifications.

But there is also another issue connected to both the issues and qualifications and that is the question of what it means to be an effective member of Congress.  This is always an important matter because given how the Fifth District is a safe seat for one party–as are approximately 90-95% of all seats in the House of Representatives–and thus the vote on August 14, could very well decide who represents the people of this district for the next 20 or more years. But given the polarized times and significant policy differences across the  state if not the country, the winner of this seat could well be part of a new majority Democratic Congress taking on Trump and defining the future for the party, or it could be part of a close opposition party doing the same.  The point here is that the Democratic Party and the country are at a critical crossroads nationally, and what happens in the Fifth District will be important.

So what does it mean to be an effective member of Congress?   As a society we do not discuss this issue enough and this should be a critical question for residents of the Fifth District.  However, there are some factors that do influence or determine effectiveness.

  First, qualifications do matter.  By that, one of the criticisms of Donald Trump is that he largely fails to understand government and  how it works.  Whatever skills he has as a businessperson, government and business are two different entities.  There is an ethic of public service that involves respect for the Constitution and Bill of Rights, there is an understanding of how government works that involves respect for things  such as checks and balances and checks and balances. There is appreciation for the fact that in government process matters.  Being effective in government, whether president or a member of Congress, means one needs experience or skills to do the job.  One should not hire just anyone to rewire your house, fix your car, or repair your plumbing.
The same is true for governing and legislating.  To be effective as a legislator or member of Congress means having some legislative  skills, or at least the kinds of skills necessary to legislating.  These include listening to constituents,  working with other legislators, grasping the details of how institutions work.    In short, experience matters.

A second qualification is about the very notion of what it means to be a representative.  The very word “represent” is an ambiguous term.  To represent can mean to be demographically representative of the people you serve.  It can also mean to represent in terms of reflecting their view or interests.  There is no definitive answer to which of these or perhaps others meanings of representation are correct.  It is probably a blend of them.  But there are also two other critical notions surrounding representation often ignored.  One is the idea that one should not simply represent those who voted for you for everyone in your district.  The second is that with a person in the Fifth district potentially being a representative for the next 20 years, that person should be capable of serving the interests of an area that is undergoing significant generational change into the future.  One should be a candidate not simply for your present voters in a primary who will perhaps only reflect a small percentage of all the voters in the Fifth District, but be someone capable of representing those who live in Minneapolis as well as its suburbs.  It should also be one who can perhaps look to the future, to be representative of a coming new generation of residents.  In the last few years Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and the surrounding areas have begun to experience this generational shift, and a good candidate in the Fifth has to be one who can project or reach into the future.

Finally, to be an effective member of Congress means connecting one’s experience to the people one represents, to the ability to work with other members in a legislative setting to be able to move legislation.  Too often in the era of social media the image seems to be that legislating is simply about espousing beliefs or ideas. The real skill is in transforming beliefs into real legislation.  It is in building political coalitions, connecting them policies, developing policy details and programs, and then understanding how to move them through a legislative chamber.
As one of my former students once said, there is a difference between show horses and work horses.   
We have had enough show horses in Congress and what we need instead are a few more work horses, those who have show the experiences to do the job, the ability to link people to policies, and the skills to navigate legislation.   Connect all of this do a person capable of reaching out to all the constituents of the Fifth along with the ability to appreciate the generational change going on in that district and one would have the ideal candidate for Congress.